Two small town twenty-somethings - one a party girl, the other a homebody - find their roles reversing after they move to L.A. and meet a smooth-talking local. Atwater Village Theatre (AVT) artistic directors Gates McFadden of Ensemble Studio Theatre/LA and Tim Wright of Circle X Theatre Co. are thrilled to announce the world premiere production of Between Us Chickens by Sofia Alvarez. Casey Stangl directs Amelia Alvarez, Annabelle Borke and Ben Huber in the five-week run, May 20 through June 19 in AVT's intimate cabaret space.
Meagan and Sarah are two small town Pennsylvania girls who move to Los Angeles post-college. Meagan goes out every night but Sarah won't leave the apartment. When Meagan brings home an intriguing L.A. native, Charles, he offers Sarah an "in" to the city -- if he can sleep on her couch. As a manipulative love triangle develops we discover what everyone is hiding and that the City of Angels operates on its own moral code.
"The play is a dark comedy that stirs up some ethical and moral dilemmas about internet use," explains McFadden. "It puts a certain kind of twist on the concept of using your friends."
Between Us Chickens was first presented as a reading at the South Coast Repertory's 2010 Pacific Playwrights Festival, then workshopped earlier this year as part of SCR's 2011 Studio Series. Sofia Alvarez is a Lila Acheson Wallace Playwriting Fellow at The Juilliard School, and an alumna of the Royal Court Theatre's Young Writer's Program in London where she developed her play, Life Drawing. She is a two-time recipient of Lincoln Center Theater's Lecomte du Noüy Prize. She is currently working on a commission for South Coast Rep.
Casey Stangl has directed for theaters across the country including South Coast Repertory, The Guthrie Theater, Denver Center Theatre Company, Actors' Theater of Louisville's Humana Festival, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, Portland Stage, HERE in New York, The Jungle Theater in Minneapolis and Alabama Shakespeare Festival. Casey was the founding artistic director of Eye of the Storm Theatre in Minneapolis, a company devoted to new work and for which she was named Minnesota Artist of the Year. Casey is now based in Los Angeles where her credits include numerous productions at the Falcon Theater, Chalk Repertory's Flash Festival and the world premiere of Susan Johnston's How Cissy Grew at the El Portal Theatre, named Best New Play at the 2009 LA Weekly Theater Awards.
Amelia Alvarez (Meagan) has appeared Off-Broadway in The Distance From Here by Neil LaBute directed by Michael Greif (Drama Desk Award Best Ensemble), Ephemera (SPF), South Beach Rapture (Fringe Festival), and From Up Here (U/S) directed by Leigh Silverman for MTC. She has appeared regionally in Sonia Flew and The Sisters Rosensweig, both directed by Nicholas Martin at the Huntington Theater. Her film and television credits include Veronica Mars, Law and Order: SVU, Jay vs. Life, and Consent.
Annabelle Borke (Sarah) is a recent graduate of USC, where she earned a BFA in Acting. Since graduating in May 2010, she has continued following her passion for the theater, working on several shows including All in the Timing and The Fox.
Ben Huber's (Charles) New York credits include A Midsummer Night's Dream in Central Park with the New York Shakespeare Festival/Public Theater, Yellowface at the Public, Sextet at New York Theater Workshop, and Perfect Harmony at Theater Row. He has worked in regional theaters across the country. Most recently he was seen Zoe Kazan's Absalom at the Humana Festival/Actor's Theater of Louisville, The Importance of Being Earnest at Baltimore Centerstage, Eurydice at the Wilma, Auto/Delete at Seattle Rep, Midsummer at Shakespeare on the Sound, and Or at the Magic Theater in San Francisco. Television and film credits include First Aid For Choking, A Night in Tucson, and a recurring role on NBC's Lipstick Jungle.
Projection design for Between Us Chickens is by Adam Squires; video is by Shane Zwiener; sound design is by Jeff Polunas; and costume design is by Sara Clement. Tracey A. Leigh produces, and Gates McFadden and Tim Wright executive produce.
Between Us Chickens runs Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 2 pm, May 20 through June 19. General admission is $15; students and seniors are $10. Atwater Village Theatre is located at 3269 Casitas Ave in Atwater Village, CA 90039. On-site parking is free. For more information, call 323-644-1929 or go to www.AtwaterVillageTheatre.com.
